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Sidebar 2: Psychologist Dan Olweus surveyed all Norway’s 90,000 schoolchildren after three victims of bullying took their own lives. Olweus concluded that bullying was serious and widespread. In some schools, as many as 17 percent of the students reported being continually harassed by bullies. He also found that teachers and parents were only dimly aware of bullying incidents, and that even when adults were aware of these incidents, they rarely intervened. The Norwegian government sponsored a three tiered campaign in every school to change the social dynamic that breeds bullies and victims. First, community-wide meetings were held to explain the problem. Parents were given brochures dealing with symptoms of victimization. Teachers received special training on recognizing and dealing with bullying. Students watched videotapes designed to evoke empathy and sympathy for victims of bullying. On a second level, classes discussed specific ways to prevent bullying and befriend socially isolated or lonely children. Teachers organized cooperative learning groups and moved quickly to stop name-calling and other aggression that escalates into bullying. Principals ensured that lunchrooms, bathrooms, and playgrounds were adequately supervised. A third set of measures came into play if bullying occurred despite these preventive steps. Counselors conducted intensive therapy with the bully and his or her parents, and sometimes assigned the bully to a different class or school. They also helped the victim strengthen social and academic skills. Twenty months after the campaign began, Olweus found that bullying overall had decreased by 50 percent, with significant improvements at every grade level. |